Correspondence: Paul W. Tebbey, Genactis, Inc., 500 Office Center Drive, Suite 200, Fort Washington, PA 19034, USA. E-mail: ptebbey@genactis.com

¹is the head of the Commercial Development Practice.

²is a consultant.

³is a business analyst.

Received 24 June 2009; Revised 24 June 2009; Published online 24 July 2009.

Abstract

In today's market, it is increasingly difficult for biopharmaceutical companies to commercialize products that realize a return on investment. This is because of a combination of escalating regulatory hurdles, increasing competitive intensity, diminishing patent-protection, as well as reimbursement and access pressures. Nevertheless, it is ever more important to maximize commercial potential with a view to fueling future innovation. Therefore, we propose that imperative learning can be derived from benchmarking the most successful brands, dependent upon whether 'success' can be measured in a manner that is both relevant and reliable. Accordingly, we propose a model that analyzes tangible and mutually independent components of brand performance. By measuring the distinct aspects of size, speed and sustainability, the Brand Momentum model has the capacity to compare between brands with different in-market time periods. The results of our analysis have confirmed the uniqueness of the pharmaceutical marketplace by highlighting selected characteristics of pharmaceutical products that are not shared across the broader non-pharma marketplace. Moreover, this analysis of the most successful brands has spawned strategic learning and focus for new product development.